Lubricating device



R. G. MASON. LUBRICATING DEVICE. APPLICATION man Mln/11,1921.

1,436,454. 2 Patented Nw. 21,1922av @P12 1 '5"' v f f HIIIIIIJJIIIH 4 l 4 l f 1 'cil i Mm

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ROBERT G. MASON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

LUBRICATING DEVICE.

Application filed may i7,

To all wko/m t may concern:

Be it known that l, Bonner G. Mason, a citizen of the TUnited States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, in the city of New York, county of Kings, and State of New Yorlr, have invented an improvement in Lubricating llevices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to lubricating devices and more particularly to that class which is adapted to supply a. lubricant, such as grease, to bearings by meansoi" a compressing element.

An obj ect of this invention is to provide a readily refillable device of the above character that is of simple and durable construction and of reliable and effective action.

in the use of ordinary lubricating devices of the compression type, it is customary to have a threaded cap which is removed at the end of each operation is then lled and replaced for the beginning of the next operation which consists in screwing the cap to force the grease into the bearing. Considerable difficulty has been encountered due to the crossing of the threads when the cap is being replaced and this results in the usual stripping of the threads. iside from the detrimental effect to the device, considerable time is lost in getting the threads to mesh when the cap is being applied to the reservoir. lt is an object of this invention to eliminate or minimize the difficulties heretofore encountered in devices of this character by providing a lubricating device simple in construction and easy to manufacture from readily obtainable-material and one which will not require the removal or replacement of the cap during any part of its operation. Other objects will be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

ln the drawings, in which is shown by way of example a preferred embodiment of this invention and in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout,

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly broken away to show certain features of the construction more clearly in cross-section; and

Figure 2 shows another form of the device unasseinbled, partly in cross-section and partly inl elevation.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, the body portion of the lubricating device, which forms a reservoir for a lubricant such as grease, is designated by the numeral 10 1G21. Serial No. 470,339.

and is provided at its upper end with the annular flange 11 which constitutes a means for preventing the detachment of the cap 16 from the body portion 10. As here shown, this flange 11 is formed by an annular enlargement at the end of the bodyportion 10. llt coulda of course, be made by merely discontinuing the threads 13 uponA which the threaded annular ring 1d operates or in any other suitable way. rlhe annular ring '14 is threaded iuteriorly to mesh with the threads 13 and is threaded exteriorly to mesh with the threads-15 on the interior of the cap 16 which is adapted to force the grease through the body portion 10. The threads on the eX- terior of the ring 14e and on the interior of the cap 16 are so constructed that it is necessary that they be screwed together under considerable pressure so that the cap cannot be detached from the ring with the application of ordinary pressures such as would be required to operate the ring in the threads 123. The upper end of the cap may be formed in anyv suitable manner, but preferably with a rough surface to 'facilitate the manual manipulation that is required to force the grease out of the body portion 10. its shown in the drawing, the cap 16 is provided with a flange 17 which is suitably linurled to give the desired roughness.

The body portion 10 has the exterior diameter of its lower part 18 sufficiently smaller than the exterior diameter of its upper threaded part to permit the annular ring la to be removed at the lower end of the body portion 10. Thus in disassembling the cap 16 and body portion 10 of this device it is necessary first to apply great pressure for the detachment of the ring 14 and the cap 16 and then the ring 14 may be turned until it disengages the threads 13 and is removed from the lower part 18 of the body portion which is, as has been pointed out, of a smaller size than the upper threaded part. rlhis lower part 18 is also provided with a slot 19 adapted to receive the knob 2O which is on the upper part of the nipple 21, which will be described hereinafter. rl`he knob 2G and slot 19 form a bayonet joint which permits the nipple 21 to be readily detached from the body portion 10. There is also provided at the lower part 18 of the body portion 10 a catch 22 which is so constructed that it will automatically engage the knob 20 when the nipple and body portions are in the locked position. This catch may be of any suitable form such as shown in the drawing wherein a resilient member 23 is secured to the body portion at the points 24C and extends outwardly suiiiciently to engag the knob 2O when it reaches its extreme peripheral cireum'terentiall movement. The end 25 ot the catch 22 is bent from the body portion suiiiciently to touch the top ot the lrnob and is thereby raised by an inclined plane action between the knob 20 and the end oiu the catch 22 until the aperture 26 engages the knob 20, when the body portion 10 and nipple 21 are firmly fastened in the locked position.

rllhe nipple 2i, which cooperates with the body portion l0, may be considered as three parts,-the upper part 27 which is cylindrical and adapted to iit into the main body portion 10, the conical middle part 28, and the threaded lower part 29 which is adapted to cooperate with any threaded aperture through which it is desired to force a lubricant. The uppei part 27 has an exterior diameter substantially equalto the interior diameter ot the body portion 10 and is made of suoli a length that when fully inserted into the body portion 10 its upper extremity will just close the air vent 30 provided in the body portion 10. rl`his cylindrical part 27 is tapered down in any desired shape to Vlform the lower part 29 which in general will be of substantially smaller diameter than the upper part 27 and it will usually be necessary. and in general desirable, to provide suitable threads 31 either interiorly or erteriorly on the lower part of the nipple These threads enable the device to be mounted rigidly 1n a correspondingly threaded aperture. rllhe threads 31 are here shown as exterior; but they can, of course, be made on the interior.

ln operating the lubricating device, the nipple 21 is lined into the desired aperture by means of the threads 81, and if the body portion 1G has not already been detached from the nipple 21 it is then removed by raising the spring 22 to unlock the bayonet joint and thereupon turning the body portion and withdrawing it from the nipple 21. lt the cap is in the position shown in Fig. 1, the apparatus is immediately ready for the reception of a lubricant through the open lower end of the body portion. lf the cap should be in its other eXtrei ie position, that is, the position assumed after the expulsion oi' the lubricant, it will be necessary to turn the cap 16 until it has reached its upper limit as shown in Fig. 1 when the lubricant is inserted through the lower part of the body portion 10. rlhe air vent 30 provided near the upper end of the body portion permits the excess air entrapped in the cap 16 to escape. lt is not desirable to completely iil the cap 16 as in general the nipple will be full of grease and when it is inserted into the body portion 10, as hereinafter described, unless there is surlicient space in the cap the lubricant will be forced through the nipple. This is, ot course, undesirable. By partly filling the cap and body portion with a lubricant when the nipple is inserted into the body portion 10, the knob 2O fitting into the slot 19, it will, push the grease back into the cap and the air will escape through the vent 30. lhen the knob 2O has reached the upper limit of the slot,

the upper partr2iv of the nipple 21 is ot suchV a length that it completely covers the air vent 30 thereby preventing the loss ot' any grease due to the pressure exerted by the cap 16. As the knob 20 reaches the upper limit of the slot 19, it is merely necessary to turn the body portion through a small angle when the catch 22 automatically engages the lrnob 2O securing the body portion 10 and the nipple 21 in the locked position. The device is now in condition tor the cap 16 to be manually turned thereby forcing the grease through the body portion 10 and the aperture 35 of the nipple 21 to the surface which it is desired to lubricate.

Fig. 2 shows another torni olf the device disassembled. Again there is the body portion 10 provided with the threads 13, aperture 30, and the locking means hereinbe'lfore described with reference to Fig. 1. The cap 1G in this form, instead ot being partially threaded on the interior, is completely threaded and these threads 15 are adapted to mesh with the threads 13 on the body portion. This, of couse, makes the cap readily detachable from the body portion 10. In the operation ot the device, iowever, in unscrewing the cap to provide a space for the accommodation ot' a lubricant. it is desirable that the upper movement ot the cap 16 be stopped when it reaches a position slightly above the aperture 3() 'thereby preventing the necessity of removing and replacing the cap after each operation.

. rlhe nipple 21 is similar to the nipple of rig. 1 and operates in a similar manner. that is, when the cap 16 been removed suiiciently to uncover the aperture 30, the body portion 10 is disengaged from the nip ple 21 by unlocking trie bayonet joint, as hereinbetore described. The lubricant then inserted through the lower end of the body portion 10 until the cap 16 is partially filled, when the body portion 10 is attached again to the nipple 27 hereinbeifore described.

ln this lorm it will be seen that no mean.: is provided :tor preventing the detachment ot the cap 1G from the body portion 10. lli/lith a ireul operator, protection from detachment is not necessary and this form ot the device is found convenient Jfor many purposes. rl`he parts of the device above described, can of course, be made of any lli lll

suitable size or dimensions andthe thickness of the different parts is to be limited by the pressure to be applied and the usage to which the device is to be adapted.

It will be seen that there is above provided a lubricating device of simple construction, that has many advantageous features as hereinbelore pointed out. It will also be noted that the usual difiiculties of crossed and stripped threads are entirely eliminated since at all times a series of threads are in contact, thereby eliminating excessive pressure on any one thread. The above is made possible because the removal of the cap 17 from the body portion 10 may be avoided since the grease may be readily inserted through the lower part of the body portion l0 after it has been removed through the readily detachable joint from the nipple 21.

As various possible embodiments may be made of the above invention and as various changes might be made in the embodiment set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a body portion forming a reservoir for a lubricant of a cap mounted on one end of the body portion and adjustable to force the lubricant from the latter, the opposite end of the body portion being open for the reception of the lubricant, and a nipple detachably engaged with the body portion.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a body portion forming a reservoir for a lubricant of a cap mounted on one end of the body portion and adjustable to force the lubricant from the latter, the opposite end of the body portion being open for the reception of the lubricant, a nipple adapted to cooperate with said body portion, and means for detachably locking said nipple and said body portion together.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a body portion forming a reservoir for a lubricant of a cap having screw threaded and adjustable engagement with one end of the body portion to force the lubricant Jfrom the latter, the opposite end of the body portion being open for the reception of the lubricant and a nipple having. detachable engagement with the body portion.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a body portion forming a reservoir for a lubricant oi a cap. having screw threaded and adjustable engagement with one end of the body portion to force the lubricant from the latter, the opposite end of the body portion being open for the reception of the lubricant, a nipple adapted to cooperate with said bodyportion and a bayonet joint for detachably locking the nipple and body portion together.

, 5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a body portion forming a reservoir for a lubricant of a cap mounted l on one end thereof and adjustable to force the lubricant from the body portion, means for normally preventing the detachment of said cap from said body portion, said bodyl portion having the opposite end open for the reception of the lubricant and a nipple detachably engaged with the body portion.

6. In a device of the class described, a hollow cylindrical body portion having threads on its outer suriace adjacent to one end and having both ends open, an internally threaded cap mounted on the body portion and having its screw threads engaging the screw threads on the latter for adjustment of the cap and a nipple detachably engaged with the opposite end of the body portion.

7. In a device or" the class described, in combination, a body portion forming areservoir for a lubricant, a nipple adapted to fit into said body portion, threads on said nipple for cooperating with a threaded aperture, means for detachably locking said nipple and said body portion together, and a cap adapted to force said lubricant from said body portion through said nipple.

S. In a device of the class described, in combination, a body portion forming areservoir for a lubricant provided with lan air vent to facilitate the filling thereof, a nipple adapted to fit into said body portion and to close said air vent, means for detachably locking said nipple and said body portion together, and means for forcing said lubricant from said body portion through said nipple.

9. In a device of the class described, in combination, a body portion forming a reservoir for a lubricant provided with an air vent to facilitate the lling thereof, a nipple consisting of an enlarged upper part adapted to lit into said body portion and to close said air vent and a threaded lower part adapted to be inserted into a threaded aperture, and means for forcing said lubricant from said body portion through said nipple.

l0. In a device of the class described, in

combination, a body portion forming areservoir for a lubricant, a. cap adapted to receive a lubricant and to force said lubricant through said body portion, a nipple adapted ,to fit into said body portion, means for lockterior diameter of the upper part thereof substantially equal to the interior diameter of said body portion, a bayonet joint for locking said nipple and said body portion together, a catch adapted to lock said bayonet joint to hold said nipple and said body portion in the locked position, and a cap adapted to force the lubricant through said body portion and through said nipple.

12. ln a device of the class described, in combination, a bocy portion having threads on the surface thereof and forming a reservoir for a lubricant, a cap provided With threads on the interior thereof, a ring provided With threads on the interior and eX r surfaces thereof, the threads on the interior surface of said ring meshing relatively loosely with the threads on said body portion, the threads on the exterior surface of said ring meshing relatively tightly With the threads on said cap, a flange on the said body portion to limit the upward movement of said ring relative to said body portion, and means adapted to be stationarily fixed and adapted to be readily affixed to or detached from said body portion.

13. In a device of the class described, in combination, a body portion having threads on the surface thereof and forming a reservoir for a lubricant, a cap provided with threads on the interior thereof, a ring provided With threads on the interior and exterior surfaces thereof, the threads on the interior surface of said ring meshing relatively loosely with the threads on said body portion and the threads on the exterior surface of said ring meshing' relatively tightly with the threads on said cap, means for limiting the upward movement of said ring relative to said body portion, and means adapted to be stationarily fixed and adapted to be readily aflixed to or detached from said body portion.

la. ln a device of the class described, in combination, a body portion having threads on the surface thereof and adapted to form a reservoir for a lubricant, a cap threaded interiorl, a threaded ring adapted to engage the threads on said body portion and said cap, the threads on said ring and said body portion adapted to operate with greater ease than the threads on said ring and said cap, means for limiting the upward movement of said ring relative to said body portion, a nipple adapted to fit into said body portion, and means for detachably locking said nipple and said body portion together.

15. In a device of the class described, in combination, a body portion having threads on the surface thereof and adapted to form a reservoir for a lubricant, a cap threaded interiorly, a threaded ring adapted to engage the threads on said body portion and said cap, the threads on said ring and said body portion adapted to operate With greater ease than the threads on said ring and said cap, means for limiting the upward movement of said ring relative to said body portion, a nipple adapted to lit into said body portion, means for detachably locking said nipple and said body portion together, and a catch adapted to engage said locking means to hold said nipple and said body portion in the locked position.

ln testimony'wvhereof, l have signed my name to this specification this 12th day of May, 1921.

ROBERT G. MASON. 

